Savings Mom: Save on Back-to-School Shopping

Aug. 16, 2006 — -- Back-to-school shopping can be overwhelming for many of our budgets, but there are ways to take advantage of special deals and coupons if you plan and research before you shop.

The key to saving is planning.

Before you leave your house to buy new school clothes, backpacks and supplies, plan what you need to buy with your student.

Take time to discuss what your student wants, what he or she already has, and make a specific list of what he or she needs to save money, time and stress.

Consider these simple guidelines:

Older children's acceptable outgrown clothes can go to a younger sibling, if possible. After determining the number of acceptable outfits you already have on hand, you can make a realistic list of specific items you need to buy.

I did this with both of my sons and learned they had more clothes than they realized, and they had plenty of outfits for this time of year. My younger son was thrilled to get three new shirts that his brother had outgrown. They decided to spend their new clothes money later in the season when the weather got cooler.

As a result, stores have many special promotions to get our attention. Because common promotions are "buy one pair, get the second pair 50 percent off," it makes sense to take all of your children shoe shopping together. If you can find a coupon to use along with special promotions, you will really save.